In the final, he defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets, completing the Career Grand Slam for Nadal; he also became the second male after Andre Agassi to complete a Career Golden Slam. (The 2019 final later broke the record of longest Wimbledon final.) Nadal defeated Janko Tipsarević and Novak Djokovic. [351] As a young boy, he would run home from school to watch Goku in his favorite Japanese anime, Dragon Ball. At the Brasil Open, Nadal reached the final, where he defeated David Nalbandian. Considering that, Beretta asked Nadal about the two popular sports in Australia- Rugby and Cricket. [6] He idolized Barcelona striker Ronaldo as a child, and via his uncle got access to the Barcelona dressing room to have a photo with the Brazilian. [40] Nadal then won his fourth consecutive title at the Open Sabadell Atlántico tournament in Barcelona. 2 the following day. However, at the Indian Wells Masters, Dolgopolov would avenge his loss, defeating Nadal in three sets in the third round. Then at the French Open, Nadal won his 17th Grand Slam title. [299] This "longevity" narrative has proved to be inaccurate and pundits today admire his resilience. [326], In February 2010, Rafael Nadal was featured in the music video of Shakira's "Gypsy". [192], Nadal next played at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships and, like the previous year, reached the semifinals, where he faced Federer at Wimbledon for the first time since the 2008 Wimbledon final, a match regarded by some as the greatest in the history of tennis. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, though, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win. He finished the year ranked No. Nadal then won the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, defeating Roger Federer in straight sets. In his Wimbledon debut in 2003, he became the youngest man to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984. 1 ranking on 18 August, officially ending Federer's record four-and-a-half-year reign at the top. [94][95] This was the first time Nadal reached the finals of Indian Wells and Miami in the same year. Nadal extended his winning streak by winning the China Open, winning the final against Nick Kyrgios in straight sets. He made it to the quarterfinals without dropping set. He did not participate in any doubles Challengers events. Because he defended the points won the previous year, he kept his No. His 13 French Open titles in particular are a record at any tournament. Nadal and Ferrer had met in several prestigious tournaments and important matches. This tied Margaret Court's record for singles titles at a Grand Slam event (Court won 11 Australian Opens, but seven came when it was the Australian Championships, an amateur event). Rafael Nadal is bidding for his 21st Grand Slam title as he competes in the Australian Open. Del Potro, facing Nadal after a victory in 4 sets against Federer, made it to the SF of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2013. [75] Nadal next chose to skip the Barcelona tournament, and his next tournament was the Rome Masters. This marked the first time that Nadal had captured two Grand Slam tournaments in a year since 2013, and the second time since 2010. [183] This was Nadal's first defeat in the semifinals of a major since the 2009 US Open, and his first ever defeat in the semifinals of Wimbledon. [347] Nadal reportedly owns 10 percent and was offered the role of vice president, which he rejected. In doing so, Nadal claimed his fourth US Open title and 19th Grand Slam title (placing him only one behind Roger Federer in overall standings), won his first five-set Grand Slam final since the 2009 Australian Open final, and completed his second-best season in terms of Grand Slam singles results. ", "Nadal v Federer, who is the greatest of all time? [194] In the semifinals, he received a walkover over Gaël Monfils, and in the final, he yielded just three games to Daniil Medvedev, winning in straight sets. Nadal won the tiebreaker and became the first to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam tournament final.[35]. 762 Nadal won his first ATP match, defeating Ramón Delgado,[11] and became the ninth player in the Open Era to do so before the age of 16. Rafael has a younger sister, María Isabel. The foundation will focus on social work and development aid particularly on childhood and youth. [226] From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and also met in the title match of the 2009 Australian Open, the 2011 French Open and the 2017 Australian Open. Their first meeting in a Grand Slam came at Wimbledon in 2007. [211] He then reached the semifinals where he lost to Alexander Zverev in straight sets. [338] By that time he was recovering at home in Majorca, shortly after having to leave the US Open due to injury and one day after the flood he worked personally with some friends to help the victims. It also marked his 14th consecutive season with at least one ATP 500 title. [278][297], Despite praise for Nadal's talent and skill, in the past, some had questioned his longevity in the sport, citing his build and playing style as conducive to injury. Nadal went on to win his 11th title in Barcelona, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, becoming the first player in the open era to win 400 matches on both clay and hard. He became the face of Lanvin's L'Homme Sport cologne in April 2009. 12 Jürgen Melzer in the third round. MELBOURNE: World number two Rafael Nadal eased fears that a back injury might prevent him from playing in next week's Australian Open with a full-blooded training session on … A day after the Monte Carlo final, Nadal traveled to Barcelona where he received a bye in the first round. [242] Wawrinka scored his first win against Nadal in their most important encounter, the 2014 Australian Open final in 4 sets, denying Nadal's double career slam. Ferrer's final grand slam match, however, ended in injury as he was forced to retire in the 2nd set against Nadal. At the 2005 Australian Open, Nadal lost in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Lleyton Hewitt. [170], Nadal lost in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, 13–15 in the fifth set, to Gilles Müller. It also marked his 11th title in Monte Carlo, as well as the 76th title in his career. Rafael Nadal revealed Sunday that a nagging back injury is impacting him ahead of his first-round Australian Open match against Laslo Djere on Tuesday.. In singles, Nadal won his first ever ATP match, defeating Ramón Delgado in the Round of 32. 1 ranking, 2009: Australian Open and Davis Cup titles, 2010: Grand Slam titles on three surfaces and Career Golden Slam, 2011: Sixth French Open title and Davis Cup crown, 2014: Ninth French Open title and injuries, 2015: Continued struggles and rankings drop, 2017: Two major titles and year-end No. Nadal went on to win the Mutua Madrid Open, beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. Nadal remains a passionate Real Madrid supporter; ESPN.com writer Graham Hunter wrote, "He's as Merengue as [Real Madrid icons] Raúl, Iker Casillas and Alfredo Di Stéfano. With his victory in Rome, Nadal also regained the No. 5. [40] This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French title, tying Björn Borg's all-time record. [317][318] Nadal uses no replacement grip, and instead wraps two overgrips around the handle. Nadal was again defeated by Djokovic in straight sets, although he had a break advantage in both sets and served to win the second.[155]. [97] However, Nadal retained his No. 1 ranking when Djokovic was also eliminated in the round-robin stage. [341][342] Nadal also organized other charitable activities to help repair the damage of the disaster, such as the Olazábal & Nadal charity golf tournament [343][344] and a charity tennis match in which he was going to participate and that had to be suspended because he had to have an operation on an ankle injury. Nadal finished the year as No. Nadal played only three tournaments the remainder of the year. He beat Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev in straight sets.[176]. 1 season (2008) and his last (2019) is also a record. Going into Wimbledon, Nadal was ranked world number one, but was seeded second due to Wimbledon's seeding algorithm. In the final he topped No. He won the titles at the Masters Series Monte Carlo, the Open Sabadell Atlántico in Barcelona, and the Masters Series Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, before losing to Roger Federer in the final of the Masters Series Hamburg. Since Djokovic defeated Nadal in three consecutive major finals in-between the 2011 and 2012 French Open tournaments, Nadal has struggled at Wimbledon and has not won another Australian Open. "[331], Nadal owns and trains at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre (40,000 square meters) in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca. Nadal and Tomas Berdych met a total of 24 times, with Nadal leading 20–4 (83.3%). [16] In doubles, Nadal and his partner, Bartolomé Salvá Vidal, were defeated in the first round by David Adams and Simon Aspelin.[18]. [77][78] He then defeated Andy Murray in the semifinals and Tomáš Berdych in the final to win his second Wimbledon title and his eighth career major title[79] just past the age of 24.[80]. After multiple meetings from 2012 to 2014, all of which were won by Nadal, the pair met again at the 2015 Australian Open quarterfinal. (Rafael reveals the reason why he chose Tennis over Football) He has also spoken about how he wants to end the drought and finally win at Miami where he lost in four finals. At the Australian Open, he defeated Roger Federer to reach his third Australian Open final. [152] He later withdrew from the rest of the 2012 season, as he felt he still was not healthy enough to compete. Nadal has won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, tied for the most in history with Roger Federer. His other uncle, Toni Nadal, taught him to play tennis and coached him for several years on the professional tour. [71] In the Australian Open, Nadal reached the quarterfinals, where he had to pull out at 3–0 down in the third set against Andy Murray. He lost in the semifinals and first round of his first two tournaments and then lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to eventual runner-up Fernando González. Nadal won the 2013 French Open after beating Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and David Ferrer in the final, breaking the record for the most match wins in the tournament in the process with his 59th match victory. 1 ranking on 2 April due to Federer's second-round loss. ! Spain went on to win the Davis Cup that year. 4 in the world, the first time in eight years that he has not been ranked 1st or 2nd at the end of the year. Rafael Nadal celebrates with teammates at the ATP Cup. Since he was 17, I believe. After playing two more Challenger level events, the last Challenger tournaments of his career, Nadal finished his 2003 campaign with three first round losses in ATP events. Their next significant meeting was in the opening round of the 2009 Davis Cup Final, where Nadal again defeated Berdych in straight sets. It was a straightforward victory for Nadal, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3. Rafael Nadal's two young cousins are making waves in professional tennis ... played professional football for Barcelona and won 62 caps for Spain. He was a semifinalist at the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Montreal before losing his first match at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati. From there there is no debate I think,” Nadal as quoted by Tennis World USA. At the Monte Carlo Masters, Nadal successfully defended his title and won a record-breaking 31st Masters title, thus becoming the player with the most Masters 1000 titles in tennis history. [138] Nadal then participated at the Indian Wells and Miami Open but suffered early defeats to Milos Raonic and Fernando Verdasco, in the quarterfinals and third round respectively. Del Potro then went on to his first grand slam final since his victory in the 2009 US Open. ", "Nadal Has Improved Virtually Every Aspect of His Game", "Essential Tennis – Rafael Nadal's Forehand Grip Revealed", "More and More Players Deliver Slap to Classic Forehand", "Rafael Nadal Determined to Keep One Step Ahead of Roger Federer", "Rafael Nadal: Rafa Must Improve Serve to Beat Novak Djokovic", "Rafael Nadal's Serve, and 7 Other Weak Shots Among the Top 8 Men", "Beaten Nadal Vows to Turn Tables on Djokovic", "2010 or 2019: Which Rafa Serve Is More Potent? Nadal was able to regroup, winning the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo by defeating Gaël Monfils for his seventh title of the season. [25] By beating No. His tremendous record on clay continued as he beat compatriot David Ferrer in a three-set final to clinch his seventh title in eight years at the Barcelona Open. Under the direction of Carlos Moyá, Nadal improved his serve,[295][293] and also incorporated serve-and-volley as a surprise tactic in some of his matches. This set up a final against No. [145], Nadal lost to eventual runner-up Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open, ending his winning streak of 39 consecutive victories in Paris since his defeat by Robin Söderling in 2009. Explore Armani Clearance Sale. 1, Nadal has also spent 351 weeks (including a record 160 consecutive weeks) as World No. [238] Seven of these nine appearances have been in quarterfinals and semifinals, making the rivalry an important part of both men's careers. Their biggest meeting, came in the 2013 French Open final. Rafael Nadal will again sit out the ATP Cup in Melbourne on Friday with a back injury which has cast a shadow over his hopes of a record-setting 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. However, like many of their meetings, Nadal dominated the Czech and beat him in straight sets. 1 for the fourth time in his career, tying him for fourth all-time with Novak Djokovic, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, behind Pete Sampras (6), and Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors (5). [43][44] They played the longest (in terms of time on court, not in terms of numbers of games) final in Wimbledon history, and because of rain delays, Nadal won the fifth set 9–7 in near-darkness. He next played in the 2011 Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to Mardy Fish, again in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard enters the Australian Open a week on Monday trying to win a record 21st Slam title. [117] Nadal also defeated Djokovic in the 2013 US Open Final. In explaining why she chose Nadal for the video, Shakira was quoted as saying in an interview with the Latin American Herald Tribune: "I thought that maybe I needed someone I could in some way identify with. Nadal won his 18th ATP 500 title in Barcelona without dropping a set, also marking his tenth victory in Barcelona. ", "Rafael Nadal Is Challenging Roger Federer for the Title Of 'Greatest of All Time, "Tennis podcast: 'Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the greatest of all time', says John McEnroe", "Sorry, Roger: Rafael Nadal is not just the king of clay", "Rafael Nadal's third US Open title win sparks 'greatest ever' Twitter debate", "Tennis Debate: Is Rafael Nadal not Roger Federer the greatest ever? [197] At Paris Masters, Nadal reached semi-final stage of the tournament, but pulled out due to an abdominal injury. After withdrawing from Miami, Nadal attempted to defend his title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, but was beaten by Djokovic in straight sets. They met a year later again in the Barcelona final, with Nadal taking the title in straight sets. 1 and the first to finish in the top spot four years since he last achieved the feat; he also broke a number of other historical records, all of which he broke again in 2019. 2-ranked Nadal … In a rematch of the previous year's final against Thiem, Nadal prevailed in four sets to claim his record-extending twelfth French Open title.